lecompte



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. 0. LECOMPTB. AUTOMATIG GAR GOUPLING.

Patented June 18, 1895'.

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@y MM 2 Shets--Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

L. 0. LBCOMPTB.

AUTOMATIC CAR GOUPLING.

No. 541,329. Patented June 18,1895.A

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS O. LECOMPTE, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN F.4OOONNOR AND J. J. OCONNOR, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC CAR-COUPLINGV..

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent NO. 541,329, dated June 18,1895. u

Application filed January 7, 1895. Serial No. 534,131. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Louis O. LECOMPTE, a subject of the Queen ofGreatBritain, residing in the city of Aurora, county of Kane, State ofIllinois, and having resided in the United States for a period of overeight years and duly declared my intention to become a citizen by takingont my first papers according to law, have invented a new and usefulAutomatic Car-Coupler, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, which will enable others skilled in the art to makeand use the same.

This invention relates to the manner of coupling and nncoupling railroadfreight cars', railroad passenger coaches, street cars,`mining cars andall vehicles that require to be coupled and uncou pled when used oroperated in the manner for which they are intended.

The object of this invention is to provide a secure means of couplingand uncoupling rail road freight cars, passenger cars, dsc., in such amanner that the brakeman or operator of such cars will not be exposed tothe danger of personal injury by going between said cars to couple oruncouple them as he is now obliged to do under the present system ofcoupling.

By using my invention railroad freight cars, passenger cars, and othercars similarly used upon rails will couple themselves automatically, andthey may be uncoupled by the brakeman or operator from the top of thecars, or from the ground without said brakeman or operator being obligedto go between the said cars, as he is now obliged to do.

I have also provided a means in my said invention by which cars not'using my device may be attached or coupled to all cars using Inyinvention in the ordinary manner in which cars are now coupled andunconpled. I have also provided a means by which cars using my devicemay be unlocked and afterward pushed upon the rails to any desired placeor position, and then when so left in such desired position they mayagain without further Inanipulation be automatically coupled, to othercars using my invention.

By using my invention railroad freight cars, passenger cars and cars ofalldescription can be used and operated in any andall ways, in whichthey are now operated.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which like letters refer to like parts.

Figure I is a plan showing a portion of two cars coupled together. Fig.II is a side elevation of the same. Fig. III is a plan showing a portionof two cars with the coupling mechanism unlocked. Fig. IV is acrosssection on line 12, showing the steel plate I in elevation. Fig. Vis an end elevation of the steel plate I. Fig VI is a plan of the jaw G.Fig. VII is a side elevation of the'same. Fig. VIII is a section on theline 3 4, showing a portion of the jaw G in elevation.

A A represents the cars; B, B, the rails; O, C, the truck wheels.

D, D, is the slide box on the bottom of the car to receive the plunger EE, which works against the bumper springs F F. 7o

G G are the jaws which are pivoted in the plunger E E by the pins H H.

II-are spring plates fastened to the jaws G G, by the bolts J J, and areconstructed so as to operate in depressions g, in the jaws G G in themanner hereinafter described.

K K, are springs attached to the plunger E E, by the bolts L L, andoperating against the jaws G G, for the purpose' of retaining.,r them incontact or allowing them to be pressed 8o back by power applied to therope or chain l M M, through the shaft N N, and the hand wheel O, O saidshafts N N, being attached to the cars A A, bythe boxes n, n.

P P are holes in the jaws G G, for the purpose of receiving the' pincommonly used in coupling cars.

Q Q is a slot in the outer ends of the jaws G G, for the purpose ofaccommodating the link commonly used in railroad cars not provided withan automatic coupler.

R R, are curved faces of the jaws G G, so formed that when pressedtogether by the motion of the cars, they will spread apart by revolvingon the pivots H H, and compressing the springs K K, until the said jawsG G, have moved a sufficient distance along each other for the recessesS S, to interlock.

T T, are projections formed on the jaws G G, for the purpose ofreceiving the pressure from the opposite jaw when the cars are backed orIOO pushed together, said pressure being transferred through the pins HH, to the plunger-s E E, and thence to the buffer springs F F.

U U, is the beveled face of spring-plates I I, so formed that they willride the jaws G G, when the said jaws are pushed together.

V Vare springs placed in the lower portion of the slide box D D, for thepurpose of snpporting the washer plate IV, which presses against theplunger E E, allowing the said plungers E E and their jaws G G, toaccommodate themselves to any inequalities in the elevation of the saidjaws G G above the rails.

WVhile I prefer the combination of parts as above described, andrepresented in the accompanying drawings; it is not essential to myinvention that a dat spring such as K K, should be used to press thejaws G G, together, but a coil spring might be inserted between the jawG, and the plunger E so as to give the required pressure, or I couldattach one end of a tensional coil spring to the jaws G, and the otherend of said spring to a point on the car. I could also obtain therequired pressure on the j aws-G G, by attaching weights thereto4working over ordinary pulleys with a rope or chain. While I also preferthe combination of the chain IWI, shaft N, and handwheel O, O for thepurpose of separating the jaws G G, I do not wish to restrictmyinvention to this particular design, as the same object may beattained by a combination of levers made to work from the top and theside of the car.

The operation of this device is as follows, to wit: To couple cars thatare provided with this invention,the one attached to the motive power,is simply pushed in the direction of the other along the rails. Thecurved faces RR, of the jaws G G, coming in contact, the said jaws G G,are forced to revolve around the pivots H H, in the plungers E E,compressing the springs K K, until the said jaws G G, slide along eachother to interlock themselves in the depressions S S. In the aboveoperation the spring plates I I, coming in contact with the opposingjaws G G, respectively present their beveled. faces U U, to the beveledfaces u u, of the jaws G G, and slide upon them until the said jaws G G,interlock themselves in which position the cars are coupled. Any forwardmotion of the front car will now be imparted to the rear car, throughthe pressure of the jaws G G, upon each other at their recessed faces SS, and any backward motion of the front car will be imparted to the rearcar by the contact of each jaw G G, upon the opposing jaw at the faces TT.

To uncouple the cars the brakeman or operator works on the hand wheel O,situated near the side of the car, said operator standing on the ground.By turning the hand wheel O, the shaft N is made to revolvein itsbearings n n, carrying with it the chain or rope M, which pulls the jawG, open, and allows the spring plates I I, to slide over the vjaws G G.vThe ends of said spring plates I I,

drop into recesses g g, formed in the ends of the jaws G G, aud keep thesaid jaws G G,

apart so that their recessed faces S S, no longer engage one another.Any back ward motion now given to the car that is attached to the motivepower will be transmitted to the other car through the contact of theends of the jawsG G, upon the respective faces T T of the opposing jawsone upon the other,` and such backward motion will not disturb therelative positions that the jaws G G, and other parts have assumed,butshould any forward motion be imparted to thecar attached to themotive power the jaws G G, being held apart by the spring plates I I,with their ends resting in the recesses g g, in the jaws G G, the saidjaws G G, will slide along one another andbecome entirely disengaged oruncoupled, leaving the jaws in both cars in the desired position to beautomatically coupled again when necessary.

Now the above operation was performed by the brakeman or operator whilestanding on y j the ground, and operating the hand wheel O, but as theshaft N, runs vertically and the hand wheel O has been placed so as tobe` convenient to an operator standing on the top of the car, it isevident that the said operation above described could be performed by anoperator standing on the top of the car. By this ,means therefore thesaid cars can be uncou pled by the brakeman or operator either from thetop of the car, or from the side of the car, when said brakeman would bestanding on the ground, and thus avoid the danger to life and person ofbeing obliged to go betweenthe cars as is now commonly done on allrailroads.

When it is desired to couple cars using my d invention, with cars notprovided with the same, the operation can be performed by usinganordinary link which will enter into the recess Q, in the jaw G, and beheld in position by the ordinary pin, dropped through the hole P, in thesaid jaw G.

NowIam aware that prior .to my invention,

various devices have been made for coupling railroad cars, but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic car coupler, the combination of the jaw G, the pivotH, the plunger E, and the slide box D, all arranged substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose therein set forth. j V

2. In an automatic car coupler, the combination of the jaw G, the pivotH, the plunger E the slide box D, the washer plate W, and the spring V,all arranged substantially as described and for the purpose therein setforth.

3, In an automatic car coupler, the combinations of the jaws G G, havingrecessed faces S S, the depressions g g, and the projections T T, withthe spring plates 'I I, all arranged H H in Vthe plunger E E, withspring plates I I, M, the shafts N N, and the hand Wheels O, O, allarranged substantially as described and all arranged substantially asdescribed, and

for the purpose therein set forth. for the purpose I@herein set forth.

5. In an automatic oar coupler, the combi- ,LOUIS O. LECOMPTE. 5 nationof the jaws G G, the pins HHworking n presence ofin the plungers E E,and the springs K K, JAMES SPELMAN,

with the spring plates I I, the rope or chain JOHN LOSER.

